The party to end all parties

From: Julie

Dear Fellas,

Here's a Mother's Day dilemma for you. During the week of February vacation, my husband and I spent a week in Paris while our teenagers -son, eighteen and daughter, fourteen - took care of the house, the animals, and themselves. When we got home, the house was in pretty good shape - only one piece of furniture and a cheap mirror were broken. We gave them each a cash bonus which they accepted graciously.

Two weeks ago, at the close of April vacation week, I found out not only that my daughter had a gathering in violation of the rules, but that my son accomplished a mission that took my breath away.

Three weeks before we left the US, he and three enterprising pals went into secret party planning mode. Once we were out of the way, they took Polaroid pictures of every wall and knickknack shelf arrangement in the house. They moved each stick of furniture to the basement and covered surfaces with garbage bags and table cloths. Blankets over the windows helped to soundproof and keep outside detection to a minimum. Party attendees parked far from our house. Forty or so kids gathered for what has now become the "legend" of all-nighters. Not a police officer called. And everything was returned before we did thanks to the Polaroid guide shots, which were subsequently burned.

Now, I ask you: Should we be worried about our kid getting into college?